Rhine Falls

The Rhine Falls, Rheinfall in German, lie on the High Rhine between Neuhausen am Rheinfall and Laufen-Uhwiesen, about 4 kilometres from the town of Schaffhausen in northern Switzerland, close to the German border.

The falls formed between about 14,000 and 17,000 years ago in the last ice age, when erosion-resistant rock narrowed the riverbed. They are about 150 metres wide and 23 metres high, and the flow is greatest in early summer when snowmelt from the Alps swells the river.

Schloss Laufen, a castle on the south bank, has walkways and platforms that lead down to the edge of the water. Schloss Worth on the north bank has a restaurant and is the base for boats. Small boats take visitors to the central rock in the middle of the falls, where steps lead to a lookout. A footbridge on the railway bridge crosses the river above the falls.

Viewing from the riverbanks is free, while the Schloss Laufen platforms and boat trips are paid. Neuhausen Rheinfall and Schloss Laufen am Rheinfall railway stations are next to the falls, with direct trains from Schaffhausen and Zurich.

The flow varies sharply with the seasons. In winter an average of 250 cubic metres of water passes every second, rising to 600 cubic metres per second in summer. The highest flow ever measured was 1,250 cubic metres per second in 1965, and the lowest 95 cubic metres per second in 1921. The falls sit on the border between the cantons of Schaffhausen and Zurich, with the Zurich side belonging to Laufen-Uhwiesen and Dachsen.

The rock in the middle of the falls, the Rheinfallfelsen, is what remains of the limestone cliff that once lined the old river channel. It has worn away very little because Lake Constance, upstream, traps most of the sediment the Rhine would otherwise carry, so the water hitting the rock is relatively clean.

A footpath on the railway bridge upstream links the two banks, and viewing platforms stand on both sides of the river. In the warmer months, frequent boat trips run from the basin to the central rock.